Riana Nel On Her New Role As A Coach On The Voice South Africa

The third season of The Voice South Africa has kicked off with a bang and coaches Lira, Riana Nel, Riky Rick and Francois Van Coke have already started filling up their teams with some incredibly talented South Africans. As the blind auditions continue, we caught up with Riana Nel who opened up to us about her new role on the show.

What do you hope to bring to The Voice South Africa coaching panel this year?

I believe that I bring some good old vocal coaching skills with my background of vocal teaching. But, most of all, just believing in the talent and helping them to believe in themselves and to be themselves and not what they think they should be is a skill I think I excel in. Authenticity is much more believable and I want my team to truly believe that.

What does a contestant need to do to essentially convince you to turn your chair?

My ears will be listening for raw talent with effortless vocal ability and control. Someone who can stand out between other voices while searching for something new that we haven’t heard.

This season promises to be one of the best yet. Why should South Africans watch the show?

The talent is just incredible this season and so strong vocally! It was so hard to choose who to turn around to because there are so many incredibly talented people. It’s going to be a fierce battle to the end!

The Voice South Africa has been particularly successful. Why do you think audiences are drawn to this show?

For me, it is the element of surprise! Hearing something and forming an idea in your head of who that person should be and then after turning, we are blown away. I think people also relate to the back stories. We all start rooting for the talent and we become involved in their dreams through this show. The reality is that South Africa (and the viewers at home) can make those dreams come true by voting.

Other than the show, what else can fans expect from you this year?

I will be releasing an album later this year which I am really excited about. I also have some exciting shows and trips in the pipeline. I look forward to bringing some of my new music to fans around the country this year!